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A person's ability to give and receive love is represented primarily by Venus, its sign, house and aspects. If a relationship between two people is being analysed, then:

• Study Venus in both charts.
• Use the Synastry or chart comparison technique.
• Use the combined or composite-midpoint chart of the two people involved. The composite Sun is placed midpoint between each person's Sun, the composite Moon is placed at the midway point and so on. This is the chart of the relationship. Astrology software will create this chart.

The marriage of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman will be used as an example. Woodward was born at 4:00 am on 27 February 1930, Thomasville, Georgia. Newman was born 6:30 am, 26 January 1925, Cleveland Heights Ohio. They married in 1958 and had two children. Their marriage was one of the most long lasting in Hollywood. When asked the secret of their contentment, Joanne replied, “Who's contented? We may divorce next year. But we like cach other a lot and have great respect for each other. We feel very comfortable together. We don't believe in being together all the time. We spend about half the year together, and have nothing in common.” She cared nothing for his race cars or politics and he had no interest in her interests in opera and dance. But the relationship worked. Astrology shows why.

Examine the personal planets.

1. Venus. It will be relatively easy to give and receive love and to establish a fulfilling relationship if Venus is well placed - in Taurus, Libra, Pisces, in an angular house and it has easy aspects. Hard aspects indicate that relationships will be difficult until skills have been developed. In a man's chart, Venus represents the type of women he will admire and be attracted to. In a woman's chart, Mars represents the type of man admired and found attractive. Joanne has Venus exalted in Pisces with great aspects. Venus was in Paul's first house with a mixture of aspects.

2. The Moon. The Moon is very important in intimate relationships because it represents our emotional needs and how we get on with others daily. No matter how powerful a sexual attraction may be, if we cannot live with the person the relationship will break down. Afflictions to the Moon indicate difficulties expressing the emotions and forming intimate relationships. A well aspected Moon gives emotional health and ease in a domestic situation. Both Joanne and Paul's Moons were not well aspected. Joanne's had difficulties and Paul's was unaspected. They spent a lot of time apart.

3. Mercury. A well aspected Mercury indicating good communication skills is a plus. In contrast, people with hard aspects to Mercury should be encouraged to develop effective communication skills. Both had Mercury-Jupiter aspects indicating a great sense of humour and the ability to laugh together.

4. Uranian or Saturnian? If Saturn dominates the character, the person is basically cautious, reserved, responsible, is able to make a commitment and will want a more conventional type of relationship. Uranus dominated individuals are highly individualistic and independent. They need a lot of freedom and are comfortable with unconventional arrangements. To identify if a person is more Uranian or Saturnian in expression, look for major aspects from the personal planets or the ascendant to them; or look to see if one of these planets is on the ascendant, in the first house or on the MC. It will not be a good fit if these two types get together. If a person has a mixture of Uranus and Saturn aspects, there is greater flexibility. Joanne and Paul, they were a mixture of both, so were compatible in this regard.

There are three steps in setting up a synastry chart:

• Person B's planets are placed in A's houses, and examined for the impact they make in the houses.
• This is repeated with A's planets in B's houses.
• The aspects between A's plancts and B's planets are examined for compatibility.

1. Planets in houses. In love relationships, it is favourable for the partners personal planets to be in the 5th of love affairs, and in the 11th of friendships - it is good to have a lover as a friend. Joanne's Jupiter falls in Paul's 5th.

For marriage, planets in the 7th of marriage and the 4th of home and family are fortunate. Unfavourable houses, especially if the planets are afflicted, are 6 (love becomes a duty or hard work), 8 (the relationship can be too intense which may lead to divorce), and 12 (hidden agendas spoil things). If planets in these houses are well aspected, it helps matters. Paul's Juno is in Joanne's eleventh house. Joanne's Juno was on Paul's ascendant. These add to marriage compatibility.

Houses 2, 6 and 10 are good for professional relationships. Well aspected planets in the 3rd giving good communication and in the 9th - giving a shared search for understanding are good for any relationship. Paul's Sun, Mercury, Venus fall in Joanne's first house, indicating he will support her personal interests and goals. Joanne's Sun, Moon and Venus fall in Paul's second house - she will support his values. Paul's Jupiter also falls on Joanne's ascendant - he will be generous with her, support her, laugh with her and encourage her to grow.

2. Examine aspects between planets. Check Sun to Sun (ego compatibility), Moon to Moon (emotional compatibility), Juno to Juno (marriage commitment compatibility), Mercury to Mercury (communication compatibility), Venus to Venus (love) and Mars to Mars (sex and passion).

Hard aspects, or planets in signs that are incompatible, indicate energy difficulties that must be balanced if there is to be relationship harmony. Fire and air signs are compatible, so are carth and water signs. If there are hard aspects, see if there are compensating easy aspects to other planets. For example, if the two Suns clash, but they have easy aspects to Jupiter; the clash of egos can be eased through laughter. Or if the Moons are trine, tension can be eased through emotional compatibility. If there is no aspect between two planets, check to see if the signs they are in are compatible.

In love relationships, look for favourable aspects between the Sun (male force) and Moon (female energy) and between Mars (male sexual energy) and Venus (feminine energy). Oppositions - usually considered to be difficult aspects, are viewed differently in intimate relationships. An opposition between one person's Sun and the others Moon, or between Venus and Mars these are favourable because they indicate a magnetic attraction between the two. Good Jupiter aspects bring friendship to any relationship.

Both Joanne and Paul were cerebral and although they had different interests, they communicated well (Paul Sun in Aquarius conjunct Joanne's Mercury in Aquarius). They loved a lot and laughed a lot together (Paul's Sun trine Joanne's Jupiter, fifth house).

Paul's Moon is conjunct Joanne's Sun. These symbols of husband and wife or man and woman, when they come together like this, it is a very beneficial aspect for marriage. Further, Paul's Moon is conjunct Joanne's, giving emotional empathy. Their Venus' are sextile and their Mars are compatible (Joanne's Mars in Aquarius sextile Paul's Mars in Aries. This latter explains Paul's life-long passion for car racing).

They both had the same signs on the ascendant and seventh house, indicating similar attitudes towards life and marriage - both disciplined and professional personally, but emotional and nurturing in marriage - and both very intensely involved with each other (their Pluto's are conjunct).

Paul's Juno is in freedom-loving Sagittarius in the eleventh house. He loved racing cars (Mars in Aries) and being with his friends, different to Joanne's more traditional and conservative approach to marriage (Juno in Capricorn). But the marriage worked because she let him have his freedom (Paul's Juno trine Joanne's Uranus in Aries)

Regarding being Uranian or Saturnian. They were a mixture. Paul has Saturn on the MC trine Uranus, and his Sun in Aquarius. Joanne had Saturn on the ascendant and three personal planets in Aquarius. This means they would honour family and relationship traditions, while also being explorative and giving each other space.

The composite-midpoint chart is the energy chart of the relationship and is read like a natal chart. For example, Mercury in the chart - its sign and aspects, indicates how the two people communicate, the seventh house represents the marriage, etc. Usually there are a combination of easy and hard aspects. If the hard aspects out- weight the easy ones, it is often very hard to maintain a long-term intimate relationship. Many hard aspects indicate many conflicts - more than the good times; so, the union may be too hard to maintain. However, if there are strong Saturn or Virgo links, people may feel they are duty bound to stay together. Many easy aspects indicate greater harmony.

1. The Sun. A strongly aspected Sun gives heart and vitality to the relationship. Hard aspects give strong energies between the two, but the relationship could destruct through ego conflicts.

2. The Moon. In any type of relationship which requires two people to live or relate together closely, it is important the Moon is well placed or aspected. Otherwise cohabiting will be difficult. Easy Sun/Moon aspects are very good omens for a successful union.

3. Venus. Favourable aspects, a conjunction and even an opposition aspect, between Venus and the Sun or Venus and the Moon; this is very good for love relationships. Favourable aspects between Venus and Mars emphasise intense romantic, passionate and sexual attraction. Venus/Pluto aspects give a very deep, intense relationship, and both people are transformed by the connection. It can become obsessive or destructive under hard aspects.

The Sun is conjunct the Moon and Venus on the second house of values - love and the relationships are vitalised, they shared common values and domestic habits. Opposite Neptune, eighth house - they were very idealistic about the things that were important to them and had to make adjustments over their differences. Consequently, they both transformed because of their willingness to do this for the well-being of the union. Sex (8th) was most likely very healing for their marriage when they had serious differences. It would likely help Joanne overcome any rigid beliefs she held (Moon in Aquarius), about how a marriage should be.

4. Juno. Marriage compatibility.

Within the marriage, they were freedom loving and adventurous (Juno in Sagittarius). Because Paul's Juno was in Sagittarius and Joanne's in Capricorn, it shows she made an adjustment to fit in with his need for independence and freedom. Generous and easy going with each other, compassionate and forgiving (Juno trine Neptune), they kept their marriage troubles private (Juno in 12, square Uranus-Jupiter). They had blazing rows, perhaps even resorted to physical altercations over jealousy issues (Juno square Jupiter-Uranus conjunct Mars). But passionate sex and emotional sharing helped them overcome their issues (Mars-Jupiter- Uranus in Pisces, Neptune the ruler).

Pluto, the planet of radical change and transformation is in Cancer on the seventh house cusp in their individual charts and in the synastry and composite charts. This indicates the marriage would transform them both individually.

5. Mercury. Easy aspects indicate compatibility in communication. Although they disagreed about their ideals (Mercury inconjunct Neptune), they would have down-to-earth conversations about their personal issues (Mercury in Capricorn) and could laugh their way out of conflict (sextile Jupiter). They did not dwell on issues for too long (sextile Uranus), but would move on quickly.

6. Other planets. They blended their physical energies well (Mars conjunct Jupiter and Uranus). Jupiter brings friendship and good fortune - it was comfortable in its own sign Pisces and located in the second house of money, they created wealth together.